The murder last Friday of prominent Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has raised the possibility of a new crisis in West Asia.
This latest development comes at a crucial time for Iran. There is hope that Joe Biden, the incoming US president, will return to dialogue with Iran, ending months of “maximum pressure”, a policy adopted by outgoing President Donald Trump, which brought both countries to the brink of war after the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in January this year by the United States.
There are other powers in the Middle East, notably Israel and Saudi Arabia, who have long viewed Iran as a threat and would not appreciate the United States returning to the talks or easing economic sanctions on Iran. So there are many possible motivations for this latest murder and many factors at play.
Invited: Stanly Johny, Editor of International Affairs, The Hindu.
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